The best smartphones of MWC-2017

The A5 LED smartphone from Alcatel does not represent anything outstanding in terms of hardware. And his appearance, frankly speaking, turned out to be unsightly. The model begins to play with new colours when installing the cover from the delivery kit, and not in a figurative, but in the truest sense of the word.

The replaceable panel is equipped with a multi-coloured LED backlight that shimmers to the beat of music or lights up separate groups of light bulbs, reacting to the voice of the smartphone owner. There are also more interesting cases of its application, for example, in an entertainment application, several people can compete in the volume of their voice. The winner is the one who will be able to light the maximum number of LEDs.

The model supports other modules as well. One of these is the rear panel with built—in speakers, and the other is a module with an additional 3000 mAh battery. The smartphone itself has a less capacious battery (2800 mAh), the charge of which should be enough for a day of active work. An HD display, which is not as voracious as higher-resolution screens, will help save energy consumption.

During the AnTuTu synthetic test, a bundle of MediaTek MT6785 processor and 2 GB of RAM scores about 36K points. The result is far from extraordinary, but for everyday scenarios of using a smartphone (listening to music, surfing the Internet, navigating the terrain), the performance is more than enough.

For some reason, there was no place on the Alcatel A5 LED case for one of the main attributes of a modern smartphone — a fingerprint scanner. But next to the front camera, it was possible to place an LED flash to get a better result when taking a selfie. The resolution of the front camera is 5 MP, and the main camera is 8 MP. It is not necessary to count on getting outstanding pictures with their help. After all, the main purpose of the model is not in photos and not in games — it is designed to please the eye with its uniqueness.

It is assumed that the main audience of the Moto G5 Plus will be mobile photographers. The thing is that the smartphone is equipped with a camera that has the maximum similarity with the photo module of the popular camera phone Samsung Galaxy S7 32 GB .

The first test results of the 12-megapixel main camera with a maximum aperture of f/1.7 indicate that it handles very well with photographing under any lighting conditions. According to an authoritative resource dpreview.com with the help of a smartphone, you can get a picture with detailed textures and low noise even in conditions of lack of light. Focus on sharpness is also given to the camera without much difficulty, the merit of which lies on the shoulders of the fast Dual Pixel AF autofocus system.

Compared to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32 GB the camera's photo capabilities turned out to be somewhat reduced. For example, image stabilization and 4K video recording are not available to the user. Both points are not so critical, especially since the absence of aggressive software processing of images allows you to be satisfied with a very high-quality result.

The "filling" of the gadget indicates that it belongs to the middle class of devices. A solid 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip, 32/3 or 64/4 GB of memory (depending on the specific version) and the latest Android OS of the 7th generation make the model suitable for performing any everyday tasks, as well as for undemanding gaming.

The 5.2-inch screen of the model copied another "chip" of Samsung smartphones — in the locked state, the display displays the current date and time values framed by a circle indicating the remaining battery charge. When using a smartphone, the picture on the screen is displayed with bright and juicy colours that are pleasing to the eye.

Under the screen there is a multifunctional button that combines a fingerprint sensor and a touch control. The commands preset in the settings are executed by swipe on it. The smartphone can also perform some actions using the Google Assistant voice assistant. As a result, the Moto G5 Plus will be an excellent purchase for adherents of mobile photography for a cost several times lower than the flagship camera phones.

The dual camera trend is steadily gaining momentum. And while some manufacturers equip their offspring with an additional portrait (Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB ) or wide-angle camera modules (LG G6 32 GB / Dual ), Huawei went the other way and equipped a successor Huawei P9 32 GB / 3 GB with a "pumped" black-and-white sensor.

As before, the logo of the German brand Leica proudly flaunts near both eyes on the back of the gadget. And this is the only thing that has remained unchanged, since all the photo modules have been slightly improved. So, the main camera got more high-power optics (with a maximum aperture of f / 1.8), the monochrome sensor received an increased resolution (20 MP instead of 12), and in addition, the Leica hand was attached to the front. The selfie camera has a wider viewing angle and a high aperture of f/1.9, which allows you to shoot high-quality self-portraits, capturing the maximum space around you in the frame.

The main camera learned how to record 4K video and got optical stabilization — it became more difficult to get a blur on the image, and the smoothness of the videos increased significantly. By analogy with Apple iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB there is a software bokeh mode (blurring the background around the model when shooting portraits). Well, the friendly camera control interface deserves some flattering words.

Huawei P10 Plus is not strong with single photo capabilities. The smartphone has a top-end 8-core HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor, which has improved graphics performance in games. The display with a 5.5" diagonal and QuadHD resolution (14x1440 pixels) looks no worse. Under it there is a kind of fake button that does not respond to clicks. In fact, it is touch-sensitive (one tap returns it back, and a long hold throws it to the desktop) and performs the role of a fingerprint sensor.

The gadget's battery with a capacity of 3750 mAh supports fast charging, thanks to which its tanks are filled up to 50% in just half an hour at the outlet. By tradition, the battery is non-removable, which made it possible to make the smartphone case non-removable. And the engineers did not regret it and added invulnerability to dust and water (protection according to the IP68 standard). The smartphone will fit everyone without exception — among the many colours of the case, everyone will be able to choose the most suitable option for themselves.

In the sixth generation of the flagship line of G smartphones, LG abandoned the idea of modularity, since such a design did not find popularity among the public. This time the bet is made on the screen, which occupies almost 80% of the area of the front panel and has an atypical aspect ratio of 18:9.

A large area of the front surface (84%) is occupied only by the display at the frameless storehouse of innovations Xiaomi Mi Mix 128 GB / 4 GB . But Chinese engineers had to sacrifice a conversational speaker for such an indicator. The LG G6 has it in place, but there are no mechanical or touch keys under the screen. Instead, the controls take away some of the useful display space. However, with a diagonal of 5.7", this fact is insignificant.

Due to the atypical aspect ratio, the screen resolution of the smartphone is 2880x1440 pixels (QuadHD+). Accordingly, the number of content optimized for such a format is quite minuscule. But the interface of the UX 6.0 shell, rolled on top of the fresh Android 7.0 OS, stretches to the full screen without the slightest problems. By the way, for the first time in the smartphone market, the display of the model has got support for HDR10 technology, which allows you to view videos with an extended dynamic range on it.

Contrary to public expectations, the basis of the gadget's hardware was last year's Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip, paired with 4 GB of RAM. Samsung has reserved all the more recent processors of the 835th family for itself. Nevertheless, the level of performance that the hardware provides will be enough with a significant margin for the future.

As the first reviewers of the model correctly noticed, the back panel of the smartphone resembles a surprised face. The mouth is a fingerprint scanner, the nose is a built—in flash, and the wide—open eyes are two photo modules. The first camera shoots at a focal length of 71 mm and is equipped with optics with an aperture of f/ 1.8, and the second is wide—angle — its viewing angle is 125 °, and the maximum aperture value is f/2.4.

The story about the smartphone will be incomplete without mentioning the support of the Google Assistant voice assistant by the device and the complete protection of its case from dust and moisture (compliance with the IP68 standard). These advantages once again confirm that LG G6 belongs to the flagship class of devices.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium claims to be the brightest premiere of the MWC-2017 exhibition. The smartphone turned out to be truly impressive in terms of design and powerful from the technical side, and its rear camera deserves special respect, which is equipped with its own image processing chip.

Among the materials of the smartphone case, mirrored glass prevails. Moreover, it covers not only the entire back of the model, but also the side faces. The only drawback of this style of execution is the visibility of the slightest dirt on the case and a high tendency to collect fingerprints.

The 5.5-inch flagship screen is one of the best on the market — other manufacturers have not yet been granted the mass production of 4K displays, which also support HDR10 technology. And even though UltraHD resolution works only in conjunction with video content, and videos with an extended dynamic range are not so easy to find, there are still no equal screens. The closest analogue of the model in terms of display characteristics is Sony's own product — the flagship of the end of 2015. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 32 GB / 3 GB .

As a "filling", the smartphone uses the most advanced hardware (high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM, Adreno 540 graphics). The software component is represented by the most recent version of Android 7.1 OS. Such an advanced platform will not lose its relevance for several more years.

The updated 19-megapixel module of the main camera received a couple of new features: slow-motion video recording in HD format with a frequency of 960 fps and predictive shooting. In the first case, the user is given the opportunity to create a super slow motion effect (for example, 0.2 sec. the filming turns into a slow-motion video 6 seconds long.). The meaning of the second function lies in the fact that the camera takes several pictures before and after the shutter release. At the same time, the device tries to predict the moment of shooting, analyzing the situation in the frame and reacting to movements. The front module also does not graze the rear ones — in comparison with other players on the smartphone market, it has an increased resolution of 13 MP.

Dust and water protection of the case, support for fast charging technology, the presence of a nimble fingerprint scanner and a two-way USB Type-C port are designed to enhance the pleasant impression of the gadget. Despite such a rich equipment, the smartphone is unlikely to be released to the masses. Rather, it is assigned the role of an expensive niche device, which is designed to emphasize the status of its owner.